COLLECT VERNAL POOL DATA

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iNaturalist is a place where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world. It's also a crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool. You can use it to record your own observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect information for a common purpose.Our primary goal is to connect people to nature, and by that we mean getting people to feel that the non-human world has personal significance, and is worth protecting. Our secondary goal is to generate scientifically valuable biodiversity data from these personal encounters.

To participate in this project, explore vernal pools near you. Record what you observe and submit it to iNaturalist. Using a smartphone, the iNaturalist app allows you to record sounds, upload pictures and write descriptions of what you observe. If you don't use a smartphone, take pictures anyhow and submit them from a computer.

SafetyAlways contact the landowner before entering a wetland. Familiarize yourself with the vernal pool during the daytime. Know the path you will take to and from the site. Visiting a vernal pool at nightfall can be very rich since many animals become more active. Some vernal pool macroinvertebrates will be attracted to your light. Be prepared.

Clean Equipment and Boots· Limit the spread of undesirable seeds and spores from one vernal pool to another· Pre-rinse and scrub with asturdy brush to remove caked on mud.· Using a diluted bleach and water solution(one capful per every gallon of water) scrub again.For all the detail on disinfecting your boots, waders, dipnets, etc.see the NEPARC Disinfection Protocol.

Data CollectionIn addition to plants and animals we would like some physical data as well. If possible, complete the Observation Fields for Air Temperature, Water Temperature, Water Depth, and Size of Vernal Pool. Entering this with one observation per visit will help with understanding the nature of your visit and the surroundings.Estimating the area of a vernal pool can be tricky. After walking the area to see where the edges are, use the “Estimating Vernal Pool Size” fact sheet to estimate its size.